Renovations underway at Seawell’s Ordinary

Renovations are underway at historic Seawell’s Ordinary. The new owners of the building said that they are making necessary repairs to the building, while preserving the historic aspects of the structure as much as possible.

Danny Niblett and his wife Dianne purchased the property last year and moved their business, Auto Max of Gloucester, into the Ordinary location earlier this year.

Upon closer inspection, Niblett said he discovered various imperfections that were compromising the structural integrity of the building.

Last week, Niblett pointed out that there is no flashing between the wood and the chimneys, causing some of the wood in that area to rot. He said that the rotting wood will be removed and replaced, and flashing will be installed.

The front steps to the building were also cracking and in disrepair. Niblett said he found and purchased the same size brick as the older bricks that lined the walkway to redo it and fix the steps leading to the main entryway.

Niblett said he hasn’t had to do much inside the building. The kitchen did undergo major renovations and is regularly used by the owners and staff. The large walk-in refrigerator housed much of the food when the building served as a restaurant was completely redone and repaired. "That looks like brand new," Niblett said.

A room upstairs has been re-plastered and a shower that was previously unusable has been fixed.

Instead of replacing the windows with a new aluminum product, Niblett said he opted to hire a contractor to redo each window by hand. "All of the rotten wood will be taken out and replaced," he said.